Lakes Commission issues statement concerning delay in reaching summer lake level

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

Lakes Commission Chair Ford Elsaesser issued a statement expressing concerns regarding the slow refill of Lake Pend Oreille due to maintenance issues at Albeni Falls Dam. 

“The economy of our waterfront community rises and falls with the level of the lake and impacts every business and person,” Elsaesser wrote in a May 24 letter addressed to stakeholders, members of the public and the media. “While we enjoy both passive and active recreational opportunities all year round, the summer season is what we depend on and what sustains our economy through slow times.”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Kathryn Sanborn answers questions about spillway operations with Albeni Falls Dam in the background. Photo by Ben Olson.

According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Kathryn Sanborn, Lake Pend Oreille reached 2,057 feet by Memorial Day and the Corps hopes to reach full summer pool by the end of June — approximately a month later than usual. 

The slower-than-normal seasonal refill is due to one of the spillway gates at Albeni Falls Dam being removed and replaced to perform maintenance and water flows reduced to guard against flood risk during the repair work. However, the Corps discovered metal flaws in the gate that was removed and, since all the gates at the dam were made at the same time, of the same materials and exposed to the same environment, they all now require closer inspection to ensure similar flaws are not present.

“Because that gate that is out being rehabbed was built at the same time as the other 10 gates … we have to recognize that there is a likely chance that some or all of these other gates also have the same defect,” Sanborn told the Reader.

Elsaesser wrote that while the commission understands the Corps’ need to emphasize safety, “our greater concern is the impact these lower-than-normal lake levels will have on the communities that surround the lake. Our hope is to help foster interest from the public on this issue and send that feedback to the governor of Idaho, the Idaho attorney general and all elected officials tasked with representing the people of Idaho, the economy of Idaho and holding the federal government accountable to the laws they promised to uphold when Albeni Falls Dam was built.”

Touching on the impacts the delayed summer pool is having on the local economy, Elsaesser urged the public to contact elected leaders such as Gov. Brad Little, Attorney General Raul Labrador as well as all three Congressional leaders in Idaho to let them know about specific concerns.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding a public meeting to address the issue at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 30 at the Ponderay Events Center (401 Bonner Mall Way). For those unable to attend in person, a virtual option is available at bit.ly/4dUlXe1.